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China and Pakistan will hold their first joint army exercise in Xinjiang later this month. The Karakoram 2026 drill signals broader defence ties and deeper counter-terror coordination.
Beijing,Oct 11, 2026 22:40 IST
China and Pakistan will hold a joint military exercise in China’s Xinjiang region later this month, according to official media, in a move that marks the first army training drill between the two countries and a further expansion of their defence cooperation.
The exercise, called "Karakoram 2026", will be held in Korla in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in mid and late October. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Chen Xi said the drill would help both sides deepen cooperation and strengthen interoperability in counter-terrorism operations.
The exercise adds to existing China-Pakistan military engagements, which have included the Sea Guardians joint maritime exercises and the Shaheen joint air exercises. Official reports said Karakoram 2026 is also expected to cover counter-terrorism operations, including tackling drone attacks.
Zhang Jueshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the state-run Global Times that the first joint army training reflected growing mutual military trust and would strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation through the sharing of experience and expertise. “This marks an expansion of China-Pakistan military cooperation from specialised units in specific areas to regular army forces. It will deepen bilateral exchanges and reflect growing mutual military trust,” Zhang said.
The exercise will be the first joint army training between the two allies after Operation Sindoor in May 2025, during which India carried out strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. China said in May this year that it had provided technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
China has also recently supplied its latest HQ-17AE short-range air defence systems to Pakistan to strengthen its air defence capabilities. Pakistan relies heavily on Chinese military equipment, with China accounting for more than 80 per cent of its arms imports in recent years.
The drills come amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over Islamabad’s allegations of cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan territory. Afghanistan shares borders with both Pakistan and China.
The Karakoram 2026 drill marks a further broadening of China-Pakistan military ties, extending cooperation from maritime and air exercises to army training, with a focus on counter-terrorism coordination.
With PTI Inputs
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